pignanelli



Aug. 28, 1928.

L. PIGNANELLI SHOE Filed Aug. 17. 1926 2 Sheets5heet INVENTOR Luigi Hgnanel/n ATTORNEY PATENT oFFlcF..

LUIGI PIGNA'NELLI, or Tacoma, wAsHrNGToN.

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Application filed August 17, 1926.,v Serial No. 129,703.V

This invention relates to shoes and, more 7? especially, to that class known as turned shoes.

The object of my invention, generally stated, is to provide alight weight shoe which will retain its shape, be more comfortable to wear, stronger, and more durable than hitherto.

lulore specific objects and advantages ofthe `invention will appear in the following description.

The invention consists in the novel manner of shaping a' shoe upper or vamp and in the'method of connecting the sameto they sole, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,-d

Figure 1 isa plan view of parts of a turned shoe embodying my improvements, the shoe upper being illustrated as lasted andsewed to the sole; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the flaps of the upper joined together above thesole; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the shoe illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4 as it appears when turned right side out; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a shoe turned right side out, wherein the meeting ends of the uppers flaps are shown as scarfed with respect to each other; Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of a welt shoe embodying the invention; Fig. `8 is an expanded view of an upper shaped according to the present invention; and Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the invention as employed with a vamp.

In carrying out the invention, a shoe upper, as 10, is shaped to provide in a single piece two complementary iiap elements 11 and 111 extending from opposite sides of a vamp portion 101 of a full upper (Fig. 8) or of a vamp upper 102, as shown in Fig. 9.

Longitudinally of the upper said fiaps are disposed in proximity to its toe end 12 and of a width to extend to the rear of the ball part of the shoe.

Transversely of the upper, said flaps are of lengths to enable them, when the upper is lasted, to have their free ends joined together at, or in proximity to, the midwidth of the sole.

In applying my invention to a turned shoe, the shoe sole 13, after being shaped and channeled, is temporarily secured by means of tacks to a last 14 with the grain side of the leather, or the surface which is to serve as vthe bottom, next the-last as usual with a turned shoe. My improved upper as 10 (or 102, Fig.

9) is then placed, wrong side out, about the last to have thejedges of the upper overlap the edge of the sole 13 and tor which it is sewed, the stitches being indicated by 16 and 161; the stitches 161 extending across those parts ofthe upper proper (Figs. 1 and 3) from which the iiaps protrude. The flaps arethen turned down upon the sole to have their-free endsmeet or nearly'so.

In Figs. 2 and 4 the outer or free ends of the flaps are shown inside by side relation and, thus arranged, are coupled together,

preferably by means of flexible strips '18; and 181 which 4are glued orcemented tothe under landl upper surfaces, respectively, of the flaps. A strip which is found to be suitable for joining the flaps is afforded by what is known as adhesive tape--that is to say, a fabric: strip having an adhesive material applied to one surface thereof.

1n practice the flaps front and rear edges are chamfered as at 20 and 201 to eliminate sharp corners; and the edges of the flaps to which the joiningl strips are applied is advantageously chamfered, as at 23, to compensite for the thickness of said strips.

In Fig. 6 the flaps are shown as joined without the use of strips, by elongating the flaps, transversely, of the shoe and cementing, as

` at 19, the overlapping chamfered portions of the flaps together.

After the upper has been sewed to the sole and the flaps secured to each other, as above explained, the last 14 is taken out. The shoe is then turned right side out and the last reinserted preparatory to hammering or otherwise bringing the shoe into proper form.

In Fig. 7 I illustrate the invention as applied to a welt shoe, wherein 24 represents the welt which is sewed as by stitches 162 to to the flaps 11, 111, or to the vamp 101 proper in proximity to the respective flaps, the sole 25 being sewed in the usual manner to said welt. Beside the lsewing of an upper bystitches 16 and 161 to the shoe sole it may be further secured by cementing the flaps directly to the sole.

According to my invention a shoe is provided with a bridge piece, see Figs. 5, 6 and 7, constituted of the uppers companion flaps 11 and 111 which are joined together and extend across the sole at the `ball thereof and serve as a tie to couple the opposite sides of the vamp together supplementary to their sewed connection 161 with the sole. It is to be noted that in the present invention, the flap elements 11 andll1 are not sewed or otherwise secured to the vamp of the upper, but are integral therewiththat is to say, an upper, or vamp, is shaped of a single piece to aord the flaps.

By such construction dependence is not had uponthe strength of the stitches to hold the flaps to the upper. Moreover, flap-s coextensive with the vamp at the ball obviates the presence of ridges which would chate or bruise the foot.

It is to be noted that the stitches 161 serve to secure the vamp or upper to the sole, but the flaps which are secured to each other and to the sole, ii' desired, serve to prevent the speading apart oi the lower side portions or' the Vamp or thebreaking away transversely of the latter from the 4sole when the shoe is strained or subjected to walking stresses. Vith the pre-sent invention a relatively thin sole and insole may advantageously be eniployed to afford a lightweight shoe which is especially desirable with womens Wear.

What I claim, is,- v

1. In a shoe, an upper shaped to provide in a single piece with the vamp side flaps which are adapted to be` turned inwardly above the sole, the free ends of the flaps being secured together,l said upper being sewed to the sole by means of stitches disposed in spaced apart relation to the respective iaps.

2. In a shoe, a sole, an upper, said upper being shaped to provide two complementary flap elements disposed in spaced apart relation with respect to both endsof the upper, and adhesive tape for securing the free ends of the flaps together, said upper being secured to the sole by stitches disposed in spaced apart relation from the respective flaps.

3.A A shoe upper having a flap element coextensive with and protruding laterally from each side of the vamp, said vamp being sewed to the sole by means `of stitches located in spaced apart relation to the respective flaps, and a means for adhesively coupling the flaps together.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 12th day of July, 1926.

` LUIGI PIGNANELLI. 

